Author: Julie Chibbaro

interview

Monogamist Writing: An Interview with Author (and GLB September Guest) Danielle Trussoni

by Julie Chibbaro

We are lucky to live in the Hudson Valley near the Hudson River, which attracts many artists and writers to its luscious shores. Danielle Trussoni, along with her filmmaker husband Hadrien and her two children, is a recent transplant. Danielle will be our Get Lit Beacon guest in September 2018.

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Danielle is a phenomenal writer; she’s an award-winning memoirist and novelist, the author of the New York Times and international bestsellers Angelology and Angelopolis, as well as the memoirs Falling Through the Earth and The Fortress. She has also written under a pen name. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages. In addition to writing, Danielle co-hosts, along with Walter Kirn, “Writerly,” a podcast devoted to the practical aspects of the writing life.

I recently had the chance to catch up with Danielle, and asked her about the monogamist approach to writing, how and if becoming a parent affected her as a writer, and what part giving birth played in writing her books.

GLB: Your fiction has a wonderful mix of history, mystery, magic, and the imaginary wrapped in a tight literary package. You’re quite prolific; along with fiction, you’ve written memoir and essays. Your latest, Home Sweet Maison, published under the pen name Danielle Postel-Vinay, is a handbook on how to create a beautiful home like the French. My question is: Are you a monogamist writer—meaning, do you work on one project at a time? Or do you dip into various projects all at the same time?5189JQ6eAAL._SX381_BO1,204,203,200_

Danielle: I am definitely a one project at a time kind of writer. I need to concentrate fully on whatever I am working on. I try to be very clear in my mind about what I am doing and when I will be doing it. I am a planner. I have a journal that I keep in which I write down the number of words I write each day. I give myself a timeline for each project, and work to stay within that schedule. I am rigorous when it comes to keeping myself healthy, both physically and mentally. That means that I don’t drink much (if at all) when I’m working on a book. I exercise. I get lots of sleep. And then I show up every day at 8AM at my desk, ready to see where the road leads me.

When you’re writing, you must create your own day every day. It is important to be realistic, but also to challenge yourself. I’m always impressed by writers who are able to produce great work consistently. I believe that happens by keeping focused through desire, discipline and a strict schedule.

GLB: You have a new baby. Do you find that the publishing world treats mothers differently, as a “woman writer” with a baby who is therefore somehow less focused? Did you notice that attitudes were different in France when you lived there toward the question of work-life balance?

Danielle: I chose to keep my pregnancy a secret for the most part. And now that my daughter has been born I don’t post about her or go into the details of motherhood on social media. I don’t believe that my choice to have a baby should affect my work, and I have never allowed it to stand in the way of what I’m doing. I wrote a novel while I was pregnant. I was back at my desk three weeks after my daughter was born. Being a mother has made me more focused. That said, this doesn’t seem to be the case for everyone. I have worked with women agents and editors who have disappeared or become less focused after having a child. This served to make me more determined to keep my career on track.81wdN9coEaL

Another added benefit of having a child is that it allows you to see the world from a different point of view. Suddenly, you are caring for and protecting a very vulnerable human being, one who cannot fend for herself. This shift in perspective is inherently good for fiction writing, as it allows you to examine your perceptions and how they alter.

GLB: You run the podcast “Writerly,” in which you discuss all sorts of subjects of interest to writers. Why did you start this podcast? What do you hope listeners will take away from it?

Danielle: I found that I wanted to talk about writing, but that I was so tired of formulating written sentences by the end of my writing day that I couldn’t begin a blog. I also really hate the word “blog,” and couldn’t bring myself to create something with such a horrible name. Starting a podcast was a way to free myself from the computer screen and still discuss my ideas about writing in language, without being tied to my computer. It is very collaborative, as I co-host Writerly with the author Walter Kirn, and every episode is a kind of riff on a theme related to writing.

My favorite part of the podcast is that it is giving new writers a window into what it is like to be a working writer. It is like sitting in on two professionals having coffee and talking about their days. I wish that I had something like this when I was an MFA student, as it would have given me such a different perspective about what I was doing. I love getting messages from listeners, and sometimes we even read them (and answer them) on the show.

We now have nearly sixty episodes and we’re still finding important topics to discuss. It seems that it will be a never-ending endeavor! You can find the podcast in your app store or at www.writerlypodcast.com.

 

interview

Interview with Author Diane Lapis: Hot on the Trail of Cocktails Across America

by Julie Chibbaro

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We recently hosted author Diane Lapis who, with her writing partner Anne Peck-Davis, just published an unusual book that offers a unique overview of midcentury cocktail culture, featuring both recipes, and reproductions of the postcards used to advertise popular lounges and bars of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. But it’s more than a mere compendium of recipes and pictures. In Cocktails Across America, Lapis and Peck-Davis tease out the stories behind each postcard, revealing some mighty strange history in these United States. I cornered Diane to ask a few questions about how she wrote the book, working with a co-author, and her unusual (yet serendipitous!) path to finding not only a great publisher, but a great agent too.

GLB: At Get Lit Beacon, you read to us a story about an Atomic cocktail. Is that really true? Can you tell us how you dug that story up?

Diane: The stories in Cocktails Across America use postcards as a starting point. My coauthor Anne Peck-Davis and I used a variety of materials to learn about the origins of the cocktail, or the bar or city in which the drink was first introduced. Vintage cocktail books and menus, newspaper and journal articles and advertisements, books, and websites were our go-to resources. For certain stories, we contacted historical societies, postcard clubs, and specialty libraries.

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Two postcards depicting views of atomic blasts were featured in the Atomic Cocktail story: Benny Binion’s Horseshoe Club, and Vegas Vic’s Pioneer Club. I gathered information from the Nevada National Security Site, the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and various websites and books about popular culture in Nevada. Then I pieced together how the hospitality industry capitalized on the atomic blasts as a form of entertainment. Finding old photos of beauty queens sporting the atomic bomb style hairdo, convinced me that this story had to be told.

GLB: You also mentioned you decided to find an agent for the book once you’d written it, even though you’d already found a publisher. Can you say why you made that decision?

Diane: Anne and I were thrilled that Countryman Press (a division of W.W. Norton) was interested in our manuscript. Before signing the contract, I serendipitously met the CEO of the Curtis Brown Literary Agency. He took an interest in our project and suggested that we consider using his agency to help with the business side of publishing. I was reluctant, as we already had a publisher… what could we possibly need an agent for??? Everyone that we knew in the publishing industry highly recommended engaging the services of an agent. Anne and I then interviewed one of Curtis Brown’s agents and liked his attitude and personality. He was well versed in the field and patiently answered our long list of questions. We are so thankful that we signed with Curtis Brown! Our agent was helpful in negotiating the complicated contract and added value to it as well.

GLB: How did you work together with your writing partner? Can you share a story of when it didn’t work so well?

Diane: Working with a creative collaborator was a gratifying experience. Anne and I shared similar interests in postcards and 20th century cultural history. We readily agreed on content and the design of the book, thereby making it easy to achieve our goals. We were ready to jump into something new and bold, and delighted in stretching our horizons. We split the workload, edited each other’s writing, suggested pathways to follow, and discovered and shared new resources.

However, our biggest challenge was finding time to work together. We were free during opposite times of the day and live about a 45-minute drive from each other. Therefore, we had to carefully plan our meetings. We prepared agendas that kept us focused and ensured that we discussed specific and time-sensitive items. Sometimes we met at a bookstore or traveled to each other’s homes. We sent hundreds (possibly thousands) of emails and had many lengthy phone conversations. Scheduling telephone conferences with our editor and agent required additional planning. Anne and I both loved working on this project, so we found positive ways to deal with our time challenge.

 

interview

Interview with Literary Agent Linda Pratt: Pros and Cons of Self-publishing

by Julie Chibbaro

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After hosting a number of traditionally published authors, we recently had a self-published writer as a guest at our Get Lit Beacon literary salon. Many writers in the audience were curious about the self-publishing process, and how it might affect their chances of eventually having their writing traditionally published.

I asked agent Linda Pratt to answer a few questions on her perspective regarding the benefits and setbacks of self-publishing, from her point of view as a 20-year veteran of the publishing business.

GLB: When does self-publishing work well for a writer?

Linda: Self-publishing has created a more democratic space to connect with potential readers similarly to how MySpace transformed the music industry in allowing musicians to offer content widely without being attached to a label. I draw the analogy because self-publishing has the potential to work well for authors whose models are comparable to bands. What I mean is bands play gigs to audiences who have come specifically to hear them. Their business model offers them a consistent means to connect with a target audience who are likely to purchase their recordings. Self-publishing can be the same for authors who have businesses that offer them this kind of consistent opportunity, i.e. life coaches, chefs who offer cooking classes, yoga instructors who run retreats, etc. It can also work for books about a specific place or event that may be seen as having too limited a market for a traditional publisher to acquire. For example, if an author wrote a book about some aspect of Beacon, and that author was able to connect with local newspapers and get enough shops on Main Street to carry the book, their goals for the book could potentially be met through self-publishing vs. not pursuing publication at all.

GLB: As an agent, what have you seen regarding self-published authors?

Linda: Most queries I receive from authors who’ve self-published start with “I wanted to see how the book would be received” or some version of that. For us in traditional publishing, this translates as it didn’t go as well as hoped so now the author is interested in the resources offered by a publisher, which is fair. But essentially the pitch to the publisher at this stage is a failed experiment, which all would agree isn’t the strongest sales tool. There is also a perception that the author may not be as open or committed to accepting editorial feedback and other publishing considerations.

That said, self-publishing can be a valid form of bringing books to readers. Just be clear about what only some of the costs include:
• the cost of an editor and/or a copyeditor
• the cost of a designer for cover and interior
• the cost to offer it on the platform of choice
• the cost of having an industry periodical review your book
• the cost of a publicist or publicity.

Ask yourself what your short term and long term goals are:
• Why are you publishing this work?
• Is this the one book you have in you, or is your goal to ultimately publish traditionally?
• How many copies do you realistically hope to sell?
• What are your financial expectations?
• How equipped are you to promote your work?

I suggest you research all aspects of both self-publishing and traditional publishing before leaping.

GLB: How has publishing changed over your time as an agent?

Summer2017headerimage-1Linda: I have been a literary agent for the past 20 years. The conglomeratization of publishing houses is probably the most significant change I’ve seen over that time period. While there are still individual imprints within many houses, there are only 5 major publishers at present, which equals to fewer competitors among publishers so fewer alternatives for authors. However, I’ve also seen a rise in smaller independent publishers.
The other major change has been the importance of an author’s sales track record. When I started in publishing, once an author connected with an editor at a house, it was pretty much understood that the author had found a home not only for that first work, but everything that would come thereafter. There was a loyalty on both sides. Now, an author’s sales track can make them ripe for poaching by other houses if they have very high sales, or on the opposite end, can make it necessary for authors to face the challenge of finding other houses.
Good luck to everyone on their literary journey!

interview

Lauree Ostrofsky, of Simply Leap

By Julie Chibbaro

We were lucky to snag author and speaker Lauree Ostrofsky for our April 11, 2018 Get Lit Beacon event. I asked her to answer a few questions for us – we all know how writers are curious about other writers’ processes. In this blog, she does a terrific job of revealing what keeps her coming back to the page. Read her books for more about Lauree and her incredible journey.

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1. What keeps you coming back to the page and not giving up (your sources of inspiration)?

Three things help me stay motivated and focused on writing: deadlines, knowing what I want to say, and the desire to articulate a feeling. 1) Working with a writing coach, professor or respected colleague, has been invaluable to making writing a priority. The deadline must be applied to someone outside me, otherwise I can negotiate around it. I don’t want to let someone else down. 2) Knowing what I want to say encourages me to fill the page. I completed the draft of my second book, “SIMPLY LEAP: Seven Lessons on Facing Fear and Enjoying the Crap out of Your Life,” in one month, because I spent valuable time before imagining my audience. I was eager to “talk” to them and felt compelled to share my message, believing it would be useful. 3) It’s a wonderful and frustrating challenge to articulate a feeling to the point that someone else can feel it too. I worry about my vocabulary lacking and it’s tough to sit long enough in pain or sadness to speak from experience. Writing especially the opening chapter of “I’m scared & doing it anyway” was definitely that way. But, it feels so good after! Having moments when I achieved what I wanted as a writer encourages me to dive deeper on new work.

2. Who is your mentor (you mentioned studying with someone – can you tell us more about that?)

One of my college professors has become a good friend and mentor.
David Hicks now runs the Mile High MFA program at Regis University in Denver, but we met when he was teaching at Pace University. Last July we read together at Oak Vino Wine Bar while he was on a 40+ city tour for his first book, “White Plains.” (Also reading that night was Joselin Linderfrom her new book, “The Family Gene.”) Leading up to it we bartered: I coached David on developing his tour and committing to a regular writing practice, and he edited both of my books and blog. Having him in my corner has been invaluable.

3. How does it feel to have written a book, and what made you want to write a second one?

It felt incredible to finish a book, seeing the last line on my computer screen. I never allowed myself to imagine writing one. It seemed like something only “real” writers did, but not me. When it happened and I could see that it was a full story with a beginning, middle and end, I was shocked and then proud. I knew I’d write another book the moment I signed, “I’m scared & doing it anyway,” at my first book party. It felt so good to share this personal story and see first-hand that it was helpful to others. I knew I wanted to do it again, and halfway through that book tour the next book idea came to me. And because I’d already written a book, had proven to myself that I could, I didn’t doubt it as much this time.